For the first time, more World Cup teams will be wearing Nike's swoosh than any other brand, including long-dominant Adidas.

Down 2-0 to a Hungarian team that had shellacked them by five goals earlier in the tournament, the West Germans looked doomed. But die Mannschaft had something the Magyars lacked: Adidas cleats, the first with interchangeable spikes. The players screwed in longer spikes more suited for the day's soupy...